Signing the Contract, and What It Cost

"Signing the Contract, and What It Cost" by Martha Finley is a novel from the late 1800s that follows a young woman as she navigates heartbreaking challenges related to family, love, and loss. When Mr. and Mrs. Kemper meet a distressed woman on their train journey, the woman's story becomes the heart of the book. Orphaned from her adopted parents, and learning the truth about where she comes from, she faces a path of difficult choices that change her relationship with her child and entangle her life with the Kempers, leading to tragic moments and examinations of identity, lasting love, and overcoming hardship. The journey highlights the deep connections found in family, whether by blood or by choice, and how much people will surrender for those they care about.